The Philippines has sought modifications to its BrahMos missile systems to suit its geographical and infrastructure conditions. On November 4, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Manila had shared a wish list with Indian authorities to make the missile system more suitable for deployment across the country's island territory.

Speaking at the Delhi Defence Dialogue, Teodoro said the Philippines hopes to expand its BrahMos inventory. However, Manila also wants India to customise the missile system to suit local conditions, including less robust infrastructure and the logistical challenges of transporting the systems across an archipelago.

“Given the fact that our roads are of less durable and bridges are less durable than India's, we don't have any rolling stock or any active railroad and it is also a challenge to transport it between and amongst let's say about 1,000 to 2,000 islands out of the 7,600 islands when you need it,” he stated.

The Philippines has around 7,600 islands, making the movement of military equipment between them a logistical challenge. Teodoro said these conditions require the BrahMos system to be better tailored to the Philippine environment.

He also described India's decision to supply the missile system as an endorsement of the Philippines' responsible defence posture. He said the transfer reflected India's assessment that Manila would use the capability for defensive purposes and in accordance with international law.

The Philippines signed a $375 million deal with India in January 2022 for three BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missile batteries. The first battery was delivered in April 2024, marking India's first export of the missile system.

Manila appears to be looking beyond the initial acquisition and is seeking both additional units and modifications to improve the system's mobility and operational suitability across the archipelago.

Savio Rodrigues

Savio Rodrigues is a Research Analyst at Escape Velocity MediaWorks Pvt Ltd and writes for Chakra News on Defence, Geopolitics, National Security. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Mumbai.